Mark Esper, U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, was questioned by senators yesterday in a confirmation hearing that touched on Iran, China, Russia, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
 
Esper, a former Army secretary, argued against war with Iran (AP) in favor of a diplomatic resolution to recent tensions. He also voiced support (WaPo) for traditional U.S. alliances, such as NATO, and said security threats posed by a rising China “cannot be overstated.” A former lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon, Esper said he would not recuse himself (NYT) from decisions involving the firm as defense secretary. Esper became acting defense secretary in June after his predecessor, Patrick Shanahan, stepped down.

Myanmar’s top military commander and three other officials have been banned (Reuters) from entering the United States for their roles in extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced yesterday. Pompeo said the United States is the first government to publicly take action against Myanmar military leaders.
 
South Korea: A law that aims to reduce workplace harassment (Yonhap) came into effect yesterday. Under the new law, employers can face up to three years in prison and be fined for retaliation or discrimination against those who report abuse.

Civilian planes are allowed to fly (FT) in Pakistani airspace near the country’s eastern border for the first time since February, when the airspace was closed amid heightened tensions with India. The closure affected an estimated eight hundred commercial and cargo flights per day.
 
CFR looked at what caused tensions to flare between India and Pakistan in February.
 
Afghanistan: A radio station in eastern Afghanistan suspended broadcasts (RFE/RL) after its director said it received threats from a Taliban commander for employing women. A local official suggested the militant group was not involved in the incident and said that a suspect had been detained.

The governments of Egypt, France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, in a joint statement (State Dept) yesterday, called for a halt to fighting in Tripoli and for all parties to return to a UN-mediated peace process.
 
Qatar: Jordan appointed a new ambassador (Reuters) to Qatar yesterday, two years after it downgraded its diplomatic representation in the country as other Gulf nations cut ties with Doha.

The ruling military council signed an agreement early today to share power (Guardian) with the Sudanese opposition after talks continued late into Tuesday night. The deal, which will establish a transitional military-civilian ruling body, was announced by mediators earlier this month.
 
East Africa: A UN peacekeeper from Ethiopia was killed in an attack on UN forces at a market in a disputed border town between Sudan and South Sudan, the United Nations announced. Five civilians are also believed to have been killed.

The European Parliament voted 383–327 (FT) yesterday to appoint German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as the next European Commission president. Her administration is set to take office in November.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at how the European Union works.
 
Turkey: The foreign ministry said Turkey will continue drilling for gas (FT) off the coast of Cyprus despite new sanctions by the European Union, which says the drilling is illegal. Under the sanctions, the bloc has suspended high-level dialogue with Turkey and called for the European Investment Bank to review its lending to the country.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, in a memo to Congress last week, said that roughly $42 million in aid originally destined for Guatemala and Honduras will be redirected (LA Times) to Venezuela to assist the opposition coalition led by Juan Guaido.
 
Peru: Former President Alejandro Toledo was arrested in California (Guardian) yesterday after the Peruvian government requested his extradition over bribery allegations involving the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. He is due to appear in a U.S. court (CNN) on Friday.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the fallout from the corruption probe into Odebrecht.